Tacos are tortillas, typically made of maize, corn or wheat flour, which provide a surface or enclosure for a topping or filling. Tacos have a long history. When Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) and the Conquistadores arrived in the New World, they witnessed the native inhabitants making flat corn breads and wrapping them around fish and other fillings. For centuries, tacos have been a staple of the Mexican diet. Reportedly, English-language taco recipes began appearing in 1914. In 1951, Taco Bell™'s founder, Glen Bell, reportedly invented the preformed, deep-fried, U-shaped crispy tortilla taco shell most familiar with the public today.
Tacos are made with all types of fillings. They are most frequently filled with spicy beef, pork, chicken, or other meat, along with cheese, salsa, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, beans, spices, sour cream, and/or other ingredients. Tacos also come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and preparations. A tostado is a flat toasted or fried tortilla. A quesadilla is a tortilla folded in half around a filling such as cheese while it is soft, that is then fried or toasted. A taquito is a tortilla that has been rolled up around the filling, and then baked or deep fried. A gordita, sometimes referred to as a pita taco, is a soft, un-fried taco with a thick tortilla. A chalupa is basically a fried gordita. An empanada is a tortilla that fully encloses the filling. The most familiar taco form is the pre-formed, U-shaped crispy tortilla taco shell, most typically anywhere from 5 to 7 inches long and 2¼ to 3½ inches in height.
For decades, restaurants have been serving folded or U-shaped tacos to their take-out customers in foam-based food containers. At the same time, food catering businesses frequently transport and serve folded or U-shaped tacos in deformable metal containers made of stainless steel commonly known as chafing dishes or chafing pans. Unfortunately, the tacos are frequently placed in these containers while laying down flat on their sides, or at an angle that is not well disposed to keeping the taco filling inside the shell. Furthermore, because the tacos are served or transported flat, the greases and juices from the taco filling often seep into the shell, making it soggy and susceptible to breakage.